Bob Bradley has agreed to stay on as United States coach for another four years to include the 2014 World Cup, U.S. Soccer said on Monday.
Perhaps no other referee in history experienced the solo pursuit of honesty that Esse Baharmast faced in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He faced global scrutiny for a critical decision that initially portrayed him as a villainous referee, but eventually led to his complete vindication.
One of the key elements of managing the professional game is the distinction between fouls that are Careless and those that are Reckless.
The U.S. soccer team may have been knocked out of the World Cup, but a much bigger match awaits in December, when FIFA decides what countries will host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
U.S. bid officials remain confident the country offers the sport’s global organizing committee the right combination of growth and sure-fire safety and profits to win the right to host its second World Cup after staging the most profitable tournament ever in 1994.
United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati will meet with coach Bob Bradley to discuss his future with the national team following their second round exit but all the signs point to a likely parting of the ways.
Bradley, whose contract expires in December, was non-committal on Sunday when asked if he wanted to stay in charge for another four years and Gulati also notably did not say he wanted the coach to stay on.
The United States knocked on the door of soccer’s elite at this World Cup but a lack of top quality talent left them heading home after the second round and with a need to find some new faces for the next four year push.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Ghana will have dampened some of the new found enthusiasm for the game in the United States but it was hardly a shock and it illustrated the limitations of coach Bob Bradley’s squad.
D.C. United goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who was ejected from the U.S. Open Cup final last month for misconduct, has been suspended an additional four tournament games (five total) by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
FIFA says the United States’ World Cup qualifier against Honduras will take place in San Pedro Sula next month despite turmoil in the Central American country. FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said Tuesday following an executive committee meeting that the crisis in Honduras following the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya on June 28 hasn’t caused safety concerns that jeopardize the match.
New guidance emphasizes the importance of responding to serious player injuries.